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This spicy Baked Peanut Butter Tofu is baked to crispy perfection and then tossed in a spicy peanut butter sauce. It’s perfect for an easy and delicious weeknight meal!
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I love cooking and baking with peanut butter for it’s amazing versatility. From Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothies to Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, to Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles, peanut butter can truly do it all! Today peanut butter is being featured in this Baked Peanut Butter Tofu recipe that is easy to make, healthy, vegan, gluten-free and and also a favourite for kids and toddlers! (Just adjust the spice level if needed.)
Unlike many other tofu recipes, this Peanut Butter Tofu is baked, rather than fried but still gets super crispy thanks to the cornstarch coating.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Baked, not fried: This tofu gets crispy in the oven with less oil, making it a lower oil option than pan-fried tofu like this Pan-Fried Sesame Tofu. (Which is still delicious!)
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free: A great plant-based optoin that’s easy to adapt for different dietary needs.
- High in protein: Tofu is packed with plant-based protein, making this a satisfying and nourishing dish.
- Tossed in a creamy peanut sauce: The sauce is rich, flavourful, and so good you’ll want to drizzle it on everything, including this Soba Noodle Salad and Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad.
- Crowd-pleaser: If you’re tofu-curious, this recipe and my Gochujang Tofu are my top recommendations for anyone who thinks they may not like tofu.
Key Ingredients
- Tofu: use firm or extra-firm tofu for this recipe. Anything softer won’t crisp up in the oven and you won’t get those beautiful crispy tofu cubes. If you love crispy tofu also try this Crispy Buffalo Tofu and this Sticky Tofu!
- Peanut butter: You can use natural peanut butter or regular peanut butter. Both work in this recipe. For a peanut-free option you can also use almond butter or tahini, or just try this Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry instead.
*This is a recipe overview. The full recipe with measurements is below in the recipe card.
How To Make Baked Peanut Butter Tofu
Step 1: Cut the tofu into cubes and toss with oil, tamari and cornstarch.
Step 2: Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until crispy, flipping the cubes halfway through.
Step 3: Prepare the peanut butter sauce by mixing the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 4: Sauté the scallions and garlic in the pan, then add the peanut sauce and tofu.
Step 5: Mix everything together until the tofu cubes are evenly coated.
Step 6: Serve as is or with rice, rice noodles or Asian Cucumber Salad.
How To Store
Store leftover tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a pan or the oven to bring back the crispiness. You can also reheat in a microwave, just keep in mind the tofu wont be as crispy.
Jess’s Tips
- Use firm or extra-firm tofu: Soft tofu is great for recipes like Korean Tofu Soup, but won’t hold its shape or crisp up well in this recipe. Stick to firm or extra-firm for the best texture.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch: This is the secret to getting that perfectly crispy exterior on the tofu without frying!
- Line your pan with parchment: It keeps the tofu from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- Flip halfway through baking: Turn the tofu cubes once during baking so they crisp up evenly on all sides.
- Let the tofu cool slightly before saucing: This helps keep the outside crispy while allowing the sauce to coat each piece.
- Double the sauce if you love it extra saucy: This peanut sauce is super versatile and great for drizzling over Peanut Tofu Bowls, Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles, or Thai Peanut Noodle Salad too!
Frequently Asked Quetions
Absolutely! Feel free to use almond butter, tahini or even soy butter in place of peanut butter.
Yes! Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and bake the tofu for 10-15 minutes or until crispy, then proceed with the recipe. Follow my recipe for Crispy Air Fryer Tofu for best results!
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. The tofu will become mushy and won’t taste great after freezing. Enjoy this one fresh!
Try These Tofu Recipes Next!
If you tried this Baked Peanut Butter Tofu or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
Baked Peanut Butter Tofu
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Baked Peanut Butter Tofu is crispy, saucy and perfect for an easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 pack extra-firm tofu (35o grams or 12 oz)
- 1 tsp tamari
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (can sub arrowroot powder)
Peanut butter sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (omit if you don’t like spice)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2-3 tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste (if needed)
Other
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 green onion, finely chopped
- rice noodles or rice to serve
- Cilantro, green onion, and peanuts to top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using a couple paper towels, press down on the tofu and squeeze out as much water as possible. (*This step is important to help get the tofu crispy!)
- Chop the tofu into cubes then toss in a bowl with the tamari and olive oil and then the cornstarch until all the pieces are evenly coated.
- Spread out the tofu on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping the tofu cubes halfway through.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and add the garlic and green onion cooking on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the tofu and the peanut butter sauce tossing everything together until evenly coated.
- Serve with rice or noodles and top with cilantro and crushed peanuts.
Notes
- Use firm or extra-firm tofu for the best texture.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch, it makes the tofu crispy!
- Line your pan with parchment for easy cleanup.
- Flip tofu halfway through so it crisps evenly.
- Double the sauce if you want it extra saucy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 20g
Delicious! We keep coming back to this recipe.
Happy you love it, it’s one of my favourites!
This was really yummy, The tofu was really crispy and had a great chewy texture. I’d say serves 2 rather than 4.
i
Glad you enjoyed Tamara!
It was amazing and simple! I had no limes the second time I made it and so used rice vinegar and it was delicious.
Thanks Theresa! Happy you enjoyed!
The best baked tofu dish ever !!!
Love this recipe I make it with smoked tofu for extra depth of flavour I also add fresh tiger prawns to the tofu somtimes ??
Sounds amazing Louise!
This was so delicious and very simple to prepare! My kids even ate tofu without complaint, which is new 🙂 Thank you!
So happy you and your kids enjoyed 🙂
Can you use paneer instead of tofu,??
Hi Ami, you definitely can if you prefer!
This recipe was terrific! I only had crunchy peanut butter and no extra peanuts, worked great. Tofu was crispy but not dehydrated, and the sauce was so good. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Rosie!
This recipe was PERFECT! I didn’t make any changes. I’m a huge lover of anything with peanut butter. When I went vegetarian it was hard to find good tofu recipes that didn’t end up with either mushy tofu or no flavor inside. This was nice and crispy, and so good. I had it everyday for lunch for a week 🙂
Thanks for the review Cassey! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I never post comments to blogs, but now, I cannot help myself. I have probably made this recipe about 10 times, and I have to tell you … it is mine and my husband’s absolute favorite! It’s reliably consistent every time, and I love playing around with the spice in the sauce. I also usually serve it over black bean pasta for an even larger boost of protein. You never fail to give fantastic recipes I can trust to be simple but absolutely delicious. Keep up the solid work!!
Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for the thoughtful review! I’m so happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipe, it’s definitely a great staple to keep on hand! 🙂